The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Sex Ratio at Birth in Ireland

IF 1.6 4区医学 Q1 ANTHROPOLOGY

American Journal of Human Biology Pub Date : 2024-09-26 DOI:10.1002/ajhb.24159

Gwinyai Masukume, Amy L. Non, Peyton Cleaver, Victor Grech

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Objectives

The sex ratio at birth (SRB), calculated as male divided by total live births, is an important indicator of population health. Typically, male live births slightly outnumber female live births. Population events, including pandemics, can alter the SRB, with effects sometimes evident 9 months post-event, potentially due to changes in sexual behavior and/or stress levels. This study investigates the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the SRB in the Republic of Ireland.

Methods

Publicly available monthly live birth data for Ireland were obtained from the Central Statistics Office for the period 2015 to 2021. Time series analysis predicted the SRB for 2020 using data from 2015 to 2019, with comparisons made between observed and predicted values.

Results

In December 2020, 9 months after the March 2020 COVID-19 declaration, the observed SRB sharply fell to 49.44% (97.80 males for every 100 females), below the 95% prediction interval of 50.31% to 52.15%, significantly deviating from the expected male predominance. December 2020 also recorded the lowest average daily number of births (n = 145) in the study period.

Conclusion

The sharp decline in the SRB in December 2020, alongside the lowest birth count, suggests reduced sexual intercourse at the population level, particularly in March 2020, aligning with recommendations from Ireland's Health Service Executive (HSE). The HSE advocated precautionary measures such as limiting partnered sex in March 2020 to mitigate the spread of COVID-19. These findings highlight the pandemic's potential impact on population dynamics and stress the importance of SRB monitoring as a low-cost and readily available health indicator, especially during national crises.

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COVID-19 大流行对爱尔兰出生性别比的影响》（The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Sex Ratio at Birth in Ireland）。

目标：出生性别比（SRB）是人口健康的一个重要指标，其计算方法是男性除以活产婴儿总数。通常情况下，男性活产婴儿略多于女性活产婴儿。人口事件（包括大流行病）会改变出生时性别比，有时会在事件发生 9 个月后产生明显影响，这可能是由于性行为和/或压力水平发生了变化。本研究调查了 COVID-19 大流行对爱尔兰共和国 SRB 的影响：方法：从中央统计局获取了 2015 年至 2021 年期间爱尔兰公开的月活产数据。时间序列分析利用 2015 年至 2019 年的数据预测了 2020 年的 SRB，并对观察值和预测值进行了比较：2020 年 12 月，即 2020 年 3 月宣布 COVID-19 后的 9 个月，观测到的 SRB 急剧下降至 49.44%（97.80 名男性对 100 名女性），低于 50.31% 至 52.15% 的 95% 预测区间，明显偏离了男性占主导地位的预期。2020 年 12 月还记录了研究期间最低的日均出生人数（n = 145）：2020年12月的SRB急剧下降，同时出生人数最低，这表明人口层面的性交减少，尤其是在2020年3月，这与爱尔兰卫生服务执行局（HSE）的建议一致。HSE 提倡采取预防措施，如在 2020 年 3 月限制伴侣性行为，以减少 COVID-19 的传播。这些研究结果突显了大流行病对人口动态的潜在影响，并强调了 SRB 监测作为低成本、随时可用的健康指标的重要性，尤其是在国家危机期间。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

American Journal of Human Biology 生物-生物学

CiteScore

4.80

自引率

13.80%

发文量

124

审稿时长

4-8 weeks

期刊介绍： The American Journal of Human Biology is the Official Journal of the Human Biology Association. The American Journal of Human Biology is a bimonthly, peer-reviewed, internationally circulated journal that publishes reports of original research, theoretical articles and timely reviews, and brief communications in the interdisciplinary field of human biology. As the official journal of the Human Biology Association, the Journal also publishes abstracts of research presented at its annual scientific meeting and book reviews relevant to the field. The Journal seeks scholarly manuscripts that address all aspects of human biology, health, and disease, particularly those that stress comparative, developmental, ecological, or evolutionary perspectives. The transdisciplinary areas covered in the Journal include, but are not limited to, epidemiology, genetic variation, population biology and demography, physiology, anatomy, nutrition, growth and aging, physical performance, physical activity and fitness, ecology, and evolution, along with their interactions. The Journal publishes basic, applied, and methodologically oriented research from all areas, including measurement, analytical techniques and strategies, and computer applications in human biology. Like many other biologically oriented disciplines, the field of human biology has undergone considerable growth and diversification in recent years, and the expansion of the aims and scope of the Journal is a reflection of this growth and membership diversification. The Journal is committed to prompt review, and priority publication is given to manuscripts with novel or timely findings, and to manuscripts of unusual interest.